This invention is directed towards medical devices. More specifically and without limitation, this invention is directed towards medical devices used to pick up other devices.
Current operating procedures require a mandatory count of all items placed on the sterile table for use in invasive surgical operations both before and after surgery. Occasionally items fall to the operating room floor during surgery. This requires a person to manually pick up the dropped item off the floor and quarantine the item. Should the dropped item be a sharp, it still must be picked up, and it must be saved for end of procedure counting and then properly disposed of. This process presents a hazard to the surgical staff as the sharp could potentially puncture or cut the individual during handling. If, however, the dropped item is not picked up it presents a hazard as operating room staff could slip on the item or cut or puncture themselves on the item. Also, if the dropped item is contaminated and it is not immediately picked up, the item could spread contamination in the operating room which must remain as sterile as possible.
In addition to dropping items, surgical devices can also become contaminated by other means. Similarly, these contaminated devices must be quarantined, and saved for end of procedure counting.
One solution developed to retrieve dropped items in an operating room is known as the GOLDEN RETRIEVER™ distributed by Purple Surgical, Cory Bros, and Advanced Medical Innovations. The Golden Retriever™ is a magnetic rod with wheels on each end. A handle is connected to the magnetic rod. When the Golden Retriever™ is rolled over the area where a medical device is dropped, the magnetic rod attracts the metal in the medical device. While the Golden Retriever™ works to pick up devices from the floor, it presents additional problems. Namely, once a contaminated item is picked up by the Golden Retriever™, the Golden Retriever™ itself is contaminated. In addition, a new dangerous condition has developed as the contaminated medical device is now magnetically attached to the rod of the Golden Retriever™ Further, the Golden Retriever™ does nothing to quarantine the contaminated medical device to prevent further contamination.
Therefore, despite these advances, problems still remain. In particular problems remain regarding safely picking up and disposing of dropped contaminated items in operating rooms. Further, problems remain regarding quarantining contaminated items in operating rooms. Still further, problems remain picking up sharps from operating room floors.
Thus it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for safely picking up dropped items in operating rooms.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for quarantining contaminated objects in operating rooms.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for safely removing contaminated items from the surgical field while saving them for end of procedure counting.
These and other objects, features, or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification, drawings and claims.